In a settlement with the Department of Justice, Wichita Falls, Texas-based United Regional Health Care System has agreed to stop entering into contracts that improperly inhibit commercial health insurers from contracting with the system's competitors, according to a news release from the Federal Bureau of Investigations.
The DOJ's Antitrust Division and Texas Attorney General's office filed the civil antitrust lawsuit, which alleged that United Regional used restrictive contracts with payors to maintain a monopoly, causing consumers to pay higher prices for healthcare.
The complaint said United Regional systematically required most commercial payors to enter contracts that inhibited them from contracting with the health system's competitors. If a payor did contract with a nearby competitor, United Regional allegedly required them to pay higher prices.
The proposed settlement, which requires court approval and would be in effect for seven years, prohibits United Regional from conditioning the prices or discounts it offers to commercial health insurers based on whether those insurers contract with other healthcare providers and from inhibiting insurers from entering into agreements with United Regional’s rivals.
Read the news release on United Regional Health Care System.
Read about other recent settlements:
- 5 Recent Settlements by Healthcare Providers
The DOJ's Antitrust Division and Texas Attorney General's office filed the civil antitrust lawsuit, which alleged that United Regional used restrictive contracts with payors to maintain a monopoly, causing consumers to pay higher prices for healthcare.
The complaint said United Regional systematically required most commercial payors to enter contracts that inhibited them from contracting with the health system's competitors. If a payor did contract with a nearby competitor, United Regional allegedly required them to pay higher prices.
The proposed settlement, which requires court approval and would be in effect for seven years, prohibits United Regional from conditioning the prices or discounts it offers to commercial health insurers based on whether those insurers contract with other healthcare providers and from inhibiting insurers from entering into agreements with United Regional’s rivals.
Read the news release on United Regional Health Care System.
Read about other recent settlements:
- 5 Recent Settlements by Healthcare Providers